SEOUL, April 30 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's imports of Chinese fertilizers surged in the first quarter of this year, an indication that the country may be focused on improving agricultural output, a report showed Tuesday.

   According to the report by the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI), Pyongyang bought 29,791 tons of chemical fertilizers from its neighbor, up 3.6 fold from the 6,530 tons it imported for the same three month period in 2012.

   It said for March alone, the country brought in 28,725 tons of fertilizer.

   "Normally the North imports fertilizers in April," said Kwon Tae-jin, a research fellow at KREI. He said the fact that it bought so much ahead of when it usually imports the product means Pyongyang may be interested in improving farm output.

   North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had said earlier in the year that the North needs to concentrate on farming and light industries in 2013 because they directly impact the everyday lives of people.

   The expert, in addition, speculated that a surge in imports could be the result of problems in local fertilizer production.

   The latest findings based on data provided by Korea International Trade Association, meanwhile, showed the North importing 54,178 tons of grain from China in the first quarter, an increase of 31.6 percent from the year before.

   Total imports as measured in dollars also jumped 39.2 percent on-year to US$24.71 million from $17.75 million in the first three months of last year.

   yonngong@yna.co.kr
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